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Difficulty: MediumMexican-American War and Sectional Tension

"For myself, I was bitterly opposed to the measure [the annexation of Texas], and to this day regard the war [with Mexico] which resulted, as one of the most unjust ever waged by a stronger against a weaker nation. It was an instance of a republic following the bad example of European monarchies, in not considering justice in their desire to acquire additional territory... The Southern rebellion was largely the outgrowth of the Mexican war. Nations, like individuals, are punished for their transgressions. We got our punishment in the most sanguinary and expensive war of modern times."
— Ulysses S. Grant, *Personal Memoirs of U. S. Grant*, 1885

Which of the following historical developments best supports Grant's assertion that the "Southern rebellion was largely the outgrowth of the Mexican war"?

  1. A
    Southern states seceded from the Union primarily due to disputes over federal tariff policies that favored Northern manufacturers.
  2. B
    The war prompted the federal government to establish defensive military alliances with Latin American nations to enforce the Monroe Doctrine.
  3. The acquisition of new territories from Mexico reopened sectional debates over the expansion of slavery.Answer
  4. D
    The executive branch resolved the territorial dispute by directly exercising popular sovereignty to ban slavery in the Mexican Cession.

Answer

The acquisition of new territories from Mexico reopened sectional debates over the expansion of slavery.
The assertion that the war led to the Southern rebellion is best supported by the fact that the territory acquired from the Mexican-American War reopened the contentious issue of slavery's expansion, which had been temporarily settled by the Missouri Compromise. This led to legislative crises, such as the Compromise of 1850 and the Kansas-Nebraska Act, which polarized the nation and directly contributed to the outbreak of the Civil War.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the stimulus to understand Grant's perspective.
Grant connects the Mexican-American War directly to the outbreak of the Civil War ("Southern rebellion").
This establishes the causal link we need to evaluate among the historical choices.
2
Evaluate the choices to find which historical event or development connects the Mexican-American War to the Civil War.
The acquisition of the Mexican Cession reopened the national debate over slavery's expansion into new territories, leading to severe legislative crises in the 1850s.
This shows how the war directly fostered the sectional tensions that culminated in secession.

Key Concept

The Mexican-American War led to the acquisition of vast new territories (the Mexican Cession), which disrupted the existing sectional balance by reopening debates over the expansion of slavery.
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Topics

Mexican-American War and Sectional Tension

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